Why do people literally like to GIVE you their colds, flu, and viruses by handing you a palm full of germs?

Here's what happened to me last week (and hundreds of times before that).

I was waiting for my property manager to send a plumber to fix a leaky pipe in my kitchen. I have a closed-in front porch without a working doorbell, so I waited near the door so that I could see when the truck arrived.

When the guys finally pulled up, two got out, and the larger of the men tried ringing the doorbell. I open the front door to my house and yelled "the doorbell is broken, just come in."

So the guy in charge opens the porch door and then approaches me with his hand held out to shake. Sometimes I feel like I can react before that happens and just wave hello, but this guy stuck his hand out in a way that I felt I couldn't avoid without seeming rude, so I shook it as he introduced himself.

Then, in the next breath, he says "I am REALLY SICK today, so I am just going to send my assistant inside to take care of your sink."

SERIOUSLY???!!!

If you KNOW you're sick, why the HECK would you shake someone's hand and spread your germs to them???

At least this guy followed the handshake with a warning, and I was in my own house, so I was able to rush to the bathroom and triple-wash my hands, then take a disinfectant and wipe down the door handle that he had gripped to open the porch door.

But what IS it with people still thinking that a handshake is the 'proper' way to greet someone? I mean, seriously, most people cover their own coughs and sneezes with their hand, so their palms are FULL  of disgusting crap. Plus, you touch a thousand other germs a day. So why the handshake?!

I have recently heard that some hospitals that are now so overwhelmed by the spread of dangerous infections and viruses that they are telling their employees to not shake hands.

Think about it. Why the heck do you want to greet someone with a palm full of germs?

I know we are picking up germs wherever we go, and it is up to us to wash our hands frequently and correctly, and to keep our fingers out of our eyes, nose, mouth and ears to avoid getting those germs into our system, but there is no need to add extra germs to someone's day with a handshake, or look rude for declining to shake someone's hand.

I decline as often as possible but now get mad when someone even attempts to stick out their hand to shake mine. Haven't they realized what they are doing?

Meanwhile, I walk around with hand sanitizer in my purse.

And for all of you who say that germs are good because they build up our immune system, I know that. But I STILL don't want your germs, thank you very much.

Rant over.

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